Google Fiber: we don’t charge for peering, don’t have fast lanes

Google used its Google Fiber internet access business Wednesday to chime in on the continuing debate around peering and internet fast lanes, and guess what: the company doesn’t use either. Fiber, which is slowly expanding its footprint, doesn’t have “any deals to prioritize (some content companies’) video ‘packets’ over others or otherwise discriminate among Internet traffic,” according to a blog post published Wednesday afternoon.

Google also said it doesn’t charge for peering, and instead invites content providers and content delivery networks to colocate within their facilities to get their content closer to the end user. Google identified Akamai and Netflix as two companies that make use of colocation; Netflix has for some time tried to partner with ISPs and place its own OpenConnect caching appliances within the ISPs’ networks.

From the blog post:

“We also don’t charge because it’s really a win-win-win situation. It’s good for content providers because they can deliver really high-quality streaming video to their customers. For example, because Netflix colocated their servers along our network, their customers can access full 1080p HD and, for those who own a 4K TV, Netflix in Ultra HD 4K. It’s good for us because it saves us money (it’s easier to transport video traffic from a local server than it is to transport it thousands of miles). But most importantly, we do this because it gives Fiber users the fastest, most direct route to their content.”

Of course, this was more than Google gloating about how fast Fiber is. The post also comes at a time where Netflix sees itself pressured to strike paid peering deals with companies like Comcast and Verizon to improve an otherwise subpar video streaming experience for the customers of those ISPs.